Does Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) root where stems touch soil?
peterk312
10 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years agosusanzone5 (NY)
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Don't know what is growing in my garden!!
Comments (29)Thanks again for all the advice. I am now planning to get some cardboard and some imported wood chips. I will lay these down in a section of the garden where I intend to put the fruit and vegetable plants. For the rest of the garden I want it to look as natural as possible so I will leave it as it is and only get rid of the Spurge. I have been researching about the Spurge and I believe the best way to get rid of it is also to deprive it of sun light so I intend to use the cardboard on it as well. I will probably through some lawn seeds on top after it has decomposed... Any recommendation on beginner plants to grow that's easy?...See MorePurslane (Portulaca oleracea)
Comments (7)"Purslane eyed as rich food source - US weed has beneficial nutrients Agricultural Research, Dec, 1992 by Sean Adams Hippocrates used it as a medicine. Henry David Thoreau found it in a cornfield, boiled it, and called it a "satisfactory dinner." Many Europeans today eat it as Thoreau did, or chop it up fresh and put it in their salads. It's known as purslane--a plant that is a troublesome weed in many U.S. crops, especially vegetables. But recent research findings confirm that purslane is also a rich source of fatty acids, vitamin E, and other key nutrients--making it a prime candidate as a new vegetable crop. There are about 200 species of purslane, the common name for a group of plants known as Portulaca. Scientists have focused on one annual species, P. oleracea, found around the world and in all 50 states. It is known for its persistence--it grows even in poor-quality soils with little water and resists disease. Its seeds have been found to survive for 40 years. Researchers, including Helen A. Norman of the Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland, have been conducting extensive studies of P. oleracea because of its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients, linked in some studies to reduced heart disease and other health benefits, are essential to building cell membranes, especially in the brain and eyes. Advertisement Humans and other mammals cannot make omega-3 fatty acids efficiently, so they must get them directly from food. Fish, a rich source of these fatty acids, obtain them by eating phytoplankton--minute, waterborne plants. Algae are high in essential dietary omega-3 fatty acids, while more advanced plants typically contain lower amounts. But purslane is a major exception. Norman, at the agency's Weed Science Laboratory; James A. Duke at the ARS National Germplasm Resources Laboratory in Beltsville; Artemis P. Simopoulos of The Center for Genetics, Nutrition, and Health in Washington, D.C.; and scientist James E. Gillaspy of Austin, Texas, have confirmed that P. oleracea contains more of one omega-3 fatty acid---called alpha-linolenic acid--than any other green leafy vegetable yet studied. Purslane can be eaten cooked or raw. In salads, it has a mild, nutty flavor and a crunchy texture much like bean sprouts. A 100-gram serving has about 300 to 400 milligrams of alpha-linolenic acid---10 times more than spinach, the researchers found. Their findings were reported in the August 1992 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. They've also discovered that purslane contains high levels of vitamin E---about 12.2 mg in a 100-gram serving. That's six times more than spinach. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects cell membranes from breaking down. Other researchers have reported that purslane is the only higher plant to contain eicosapentaenoic acid, another omega-3 fatty acid, but Norman says she has not been able to confirm that. ARS research at the U.S. Salinity Laboratory in Riverside, California, reported in 1989-90, shows that purslane would be a possible alternative crop in arid areas of the southwestern United States, because it is adaptable to both dry conditions and to salty soils often present where land is irrigated.-- By Sean Adams, ARS. Helen A. Norman is at the USDA-ARS Weed Science Laboratory, Room 236, Bldg. 001, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705-2350. Phone (301) 504-6471, fax number (301) 504-6491."...See Moreportulacca-the weed... help please
Comments (15)To control any "weed" one should know something about it. Purslane grows from both seed and stem cuttings, is fairly shallow rooted, and will fill in almost any bare soil that exists. Spraying some kind of poison will not control it since it will easily root from the numerous seeds it produces and from stem cuttings. Since this needs a fairly warm and moist soil to germinate, or grow from bits of a plant, properly mulching your garden is an easy way to keep it from growing, it the seeds or stems do not get access to the sun quickly they will die. Since it is fairly shallow rooted yanking a plant that is growing out works very well as long as yo do not leave bits of the plant behind to root and grow. Birds do like the seeds this annual produces and they spred them far and wide....See MoreObjectively, let's consider Sedum vs. purslane
Comments (10)We all react differently to these useful plants we refer to as weeds. My backyard has no lawn,its a brick patio with flagstone walkways that wind around several flower beds.It's entirely against the grain compared to every other yard.Keeping the bricks and flagstones free of plants is a daily chore.Portulaca and Euphorbia seem to appear everywhere in the walkways and can grow quite fast,especially after a good rain. I have several kinds of sedum growing around the western and southern sides of the house adjacent to the brick patio. The sedums are much more well behaved than the Portulaca and Euphorbia.Rarely do I get a Sedum seedling growing in the bricks,and pulling them out with their miniscule root systems is easy enough. I do also get a lot of flower seeds that I do grow coming up in the bricks and flagstones too.The Portulaca and Euphorbia are more of a summer problem,along with Oxalis.In the spring it's mostly chickweed and Veronica.I have health issues and usually end up spending time in the hospital and then recovering afterwards at least twice a year.During those times I can't get out to keep up the garden and these unwanted plants bloom and set seed,so when I am well like now I have to do a lot of damage control.With a lot of new plantings still small and some perennial seeds coming up for next year I can't risk having fast having fast growing weeds overtaking them and stealing their sunlight. I realize the value these unwanted plants have and who knows if after more research they might even have more promising value for medicine and science.Portulaca as a green mulch in the vegetable garden is a great idea.My main concern with these plants is them stealing sunlight,water and nutrients from my designated plants.These so called weeds could be worse.They don't grow into and strangle perennials like the creeping Lysimachia.They don't have large underground root systems that keep sprouting shoots like Campsis radicals.If you like having the less attractive Portulaca and Euphorbia growing in your garden then I think that's fine. I just have a vision of how I want my gardens to look and these plants are unwanted paint drips on my pallets....See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
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